Dan’s Bix Bookshelf: The Ten Faces of Innovation
It’s Only Common Sense: Be the Solution, Not the Problem
American Made Advocacy: Long-time Challenges Confront a New Administration
Nihon Superior’s Keith Sweatman Wins a Coveted SMTA International Best Paper Award
November 13, 2023 | Nihon Superior Co. LtdEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced joining materials, proudly announces that their Senior Technical Advisor, Keith Sweatman, has been honored with a coveted SMTA International Best Paper Award. This prestigious award was presented during the SMTA International 2023 Recognition Dinner, where Keith Sweatman was acknowledged as one of the four speakers who presented papers at the 2022 conference that were judged by their peers as the best in their respective categories.
Keith Sweatman's award-winning paper, titled "The Effect of Strain Rate on the Ductility of Bismuth-Containing Solders," may seem to be remote from the day-to-day realities of electronics manufacturing. However, it has been acknowledged as making a significant contribution to an issue that is presenting a challenge comparable with that which the industry had to face two decades ago when, driven by the EU RoHS Directive, it had to move to lead-free solders.
Sweatman's paper provides an insight into one of the challenge the electronics manufacturing industry faces as it struggles to respond to the need to reduce the temperature required for soldering processes; the tendency of low temperature solder alloys containing bismuth to brittle failure. He reported the results of a study in which it was found that in tensile testing at a low strain rate even alloys with a high bismuth content could exhibit considerable ductility because of a change in the way the bismuth phase responds to stress. These findings provide a basis for the development solder alloys that will make it possible for the electronics manufacturing industry to move to low temperature soldering without compromising reliability.
The work reported was conducted by a team of researchers working under the guidance of Professor Kazuhiro Nogita at the Nihon Superior Centre for the Manufacture of Electronic Materials, located on the University of Queensland campus in Australia.
Share on:
Suggested Items
IMAPS and DPC: 21 Years of Elevating Technical Knowledge
03/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The IMAPS 21st Device Packaging Conference (DPC) may have taken place at a conference center located down an idyllic desert road showcasing the best of what native Arizona has to offer, but the topics at this conference were anything but laid-back. This important platform for professionals in microelectronics and advanced packaging set the stage for a technology in high demand. Brian Schieman, IMAPS executive director, says the show was organized to demonstrate their commitment to addressing current technological trends and with significant energy directed toward fostering connections within the supply chain.
Eltek Reports Full Year and Q4 2024 Financial Results
03/13/2025 | EltekEltek Ltd., a global manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced solutions in the field of printed circuit boards (PCBs), today announced its financial results for the full year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024.
ICT Spring Seminar: Nickel Not Welcome Here
03/12/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007After a miserable, dull, and damp English winter, a really pleasant nearly spring day with the sun shining and daffodils in bloom greeted delegates to the Institute of Circuit Technology Spring Seminar at Puckrup Hall near Tewkesbury, March 5, in Gloucestershire, UK.
Hannah Nelson: The Inspiring Journey of an Emerging Engineer
03/11/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAt last year’s IPC APEX EXPO, former IPC Emerging Engineer Hannah Nelson had the opportunity to reflect on her inspiring journey into the world of engineering, from her education at Valparaiso University to her internship and her first job at Texas Instruments. From pivotal moments and the unexpected turns that helped shape her early career and passion for electrical engineering, her story highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, taking opportunities that arise early on, finding confidence in one's voice, and the rewards of pursuing one's passions within the engineering field.
Chemcut Corporation Announces Atlantic Micro Tool Expanded Sales Territory
03/11/2025 | Chemcut CorporationChemcut Corporation, the US based manufacturer of Wet Process Equipment, has expanded Atlantic Micro Tools sales territory to include DE, MD, VA, WV, NY, PA, NC, SC, TN, GA, AL, FL, MS, Ontario. Atlantic Micro Tool has represented Chemcut for over 15 years in the States of ME, NH, VT, RI, CT, NJ, New York City MA, NY counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Quebec & Eastern Ontario.